Plex Transcoder CPU Usage 100%

Plex Media Server Desktops & Laptops
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I’ve tried google a bunch but a lot of similar problems are not QUITE the same as mine.

Prior to yesterday, I’d had no issues like this at all, Plex has run virtually bulletproof. Starting yesterday, noticed some buffering and choppiness while watching a particular video, and checked my PC, only to find PlexTranscoder using 100% of my CPU.

Stopped the video, did all the usual stuff–updated Plex, rebooted the clients and the PC and my router. Also tried “Direct Play” on and off, made no difference. Continued to use 100% CPU if I played this video.

I went through a whole bunch of my content, played a bunch of videos. Out of dozens that I tried, a total of three caused the CPU spike. They’re all .mkv and all 1080p. However, there are a bunch of other videos that are ALSO mkv 1080p and are NOT causing this issue at all. Further, both of the other two videos that cause the issue did NOT cause it when I watched them maybe a month or two ago.

The CPU spike occurs whether I play the videos on my Roku TV, my standalone Roku or even locally on my PC, using the Plex web interface. If I play the videos using VLC or MPC, they work fine. By my logic, the problem therefore cannot be related to network bandwidth either.

Just for a larf I did a hardware stress test and everything came up fine as well. PC appears to running normally.

Any suggestions where to go with this? “Transcoding uses the CPU, live with it” seems to be a popular answer online, but it sure doesn’t explain why I’ve never seen it before, even with the same videos.

Thanks!

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is the video h265? check it.

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One is HEVC, the other H264.

I might be over-reacting.

I sat here and watched the usage this time, with one of them playing. Spikes right up, hovers at 95-98% for a solid 30 seconds, but after that it drops. It DOES still come up now and then into the high 80s but for the most part, it bounces from 10 to 45%, with that occasional high spike. Maybe it’s normal and I just never noticed.

The stutter was happening while I did something ELSE on my machine, probably watching youtube or whatever. I guess I just never noticed, or was watching the video in question while NOT sitting at my machine.

tl;dr I really need to build a dedicated media server.

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That’s just perfectly normal.
https://support.plex.tv/articles/203064726-if-a-transcode-is-throttled-is-that-bad/

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